I am colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready, I am ready, I am ready,
I am taffy stuck and tongue tied
Stutter shook and uptight
Pull me out from inside
I am ready, I am ready, I am ready,
I am fine

I am covered in skin
No one gets to come in
Pull me out from inside
I am folded and unfolded and unfolding
I am colorblind
Coffee black and egg white
Pull me out from inside
I am ready, I am ready, I am ready,
I am fine
I am fine
I am fine

236 Comments

But I've always seen it like this:
Color blind because you can't see the many shades of life; you have a black and white thinking mindset. You see things as either all positive or all negative. Or It's about that lack of diversity and variation that makes an individual's life sustainable. One day you're pure one day you're the opposite. The world sees you the same way.
So being black and white or colorblind isn't about something that typically follows birth and will inevitably be outgrown. If it was about being colorblind at birth, which will definitely be outgrown; what's the point of the rest of the song and all the subsequent emotions poured into longing for things to change?

This person is ready to be pulled out from inside. Achieving that harmony between the external and internal. Finally to just not have the physical or external define him... Its hard to surmount the external or that which defines you. But there's hope in being able to identify that there's something else or more inside and acknowledging that you're ready for it to manifest. Takes the focus away from the extremities of your life and enables you to focus on the inbetween, the diverse, and the colorful.

This song is about someone suffering from dissociate and/or personality disorders (borderline, narcissistic, avoidiant), depersonalization, and so on.

For example, the black or white analogy refers to splitting (idealization and devaluation). People who tend to suffer from this tend to put the people in their lives on pedestals because of their dependence on these people to make themselves feel good. When they feel betrayed (which happens often and easily, like having 3rd degree emotional burns), they turn on those people and view them as the enemy.

I can explain further sometime. Adam Duritz helped a lot of people out writing this song, I am sure.

Thanks for the read. It will take many famous people stepping forward and sharing their stories before fear subsides and those who can make positive changes in their lives actually strive to do so. The issue is one similar to rape...or where "rape" was in the 1980's. Alledged victims' names were withheld by the papers and networks. Victims felt dirty and didn't wish for anyone to know. And due to the silence, many more people suffered alone. Now the crime has garnered much more attention, thanks to the strong women who stepped out of the darkness and stood in solidarity together to shine attention on the issue, and to seek help. I shall give TCC a listen today; I've never listened to the band's music....until now. Thanks again.

General CommentOH GOD!! this song isnt about giving yourself in any physical way to anybody. it isnt about what color you are. it isnt about having sex or losing your virginity. it isnt even about making love or whatever else. its about people. how we're so scared to be who we are. how we would lie to even the people we love most and trust with our being. Its about being scared to open your eyes and taking that "leap of faith" into not only life, but a life that is filled with love. when he says, "i am ready, i am ready i am ready i am fine" hes saying that hes ready for life, hes ready to let go, hes ready to be who he is, and when he says hes fine hes reassuring himself of that readiness. and when he states, "i am covered in skin, no one gets to come in" hes saying that all he knows how to be is what people see him as. there is nothing more to him then just skin, because hes so dull, so bland, so bitter. and when he says, "pull me out from inside" hes begging someone to take him away from what he had made himself into. he wanted someone to let him be who he is. let him show whomever that he can love them. he was ready for someone to love him and he wasnt scared anymore. when he states, "taffy stuck and tongue tied" he expresses his fear of letting himself go. of putting down his guard and being vulnerable to the penetration of love.

me and this song go way back!!

and the whole cruel intentions thing... the song fits that scene very well... not because it represents losing your virginity or what not, but because it represents how sebastian let himself go. and how annette let him, let himself go. and they grew together. and they fell in love officially at that moment in the movie. because there was nothing more they could do to express their emotions with one another. it was beautiful!!

My InterpretationTo me, this song is not about giving yourself to someone, but coming to terms with yourself. You're going through the motions, nothing being vivid to you spesifically. When it comes to parts of the song like 'I I am ready. I am fine.' How do you 'feel' fine spesifcially? In ways I think it's coming to terms with depression, or a form of sadness. 'I am covered in skin' kinda just blatantly saying there is nothing here but a body, what is inside is unknown or confusing. 'No one gets to come in' meaning no one would understand.

Perhaps I'm just grasping a little bit too much at what I'd like it to be instead of what it truly is, but that is the beauty of music and art. It is what you think of it.

- he sees the world in black and white(good and evil, period), labeling things accordingly. it's a contrary song, really.
- X has shut himself from other people, thus he's "covered in skin" and
he actually doesn't really want to come out of his shell, he doesn't want to be "pulled out" of his comfortable, numb, little place.
- he doesn't want to move on. he's just stuck, unable to move forward.
- he says 'I'm ready" as if he's telling it to someone, but in reality he's trying to convince HIMSELF, that's why he's repeating it.

X's basically really messed up and he's lying to himself, that he's "ready" to move on, that he's "fine" but he simply isn't and probably will never be.
-----------------------------------------------------------
btw that talk about sex...hahalarious ppl, bravo! (:

General CommentThis song is really emotional and really intense. I never really appreciated it until i started listening to it again, the piano chords....the cello. Beautiful. I agree that it sounds like somebody who isnt being themself, "pull me out from inside"....Pull out the real me. :)

General CommentMost people seem to not be reading deep enuff into the song. The "colurblind" is not referring to skin colour! it is referring to accepting the one you love for who they are, not what they lok like they use the term colourblind because people will link it with racist terms and this is a kinda metaphore for the real meaning. This is also a really sad and lovely song (dont worry i find almost all songs sad) but this has to be one of the greats

General Commentthis song for me is about being numb, like the verse "im covered in skin no one gets to come in", its about being disconnected from the rest of the world. I also feel this song is about being in that state and wanting so bad to be "pulled" out of it. You get so used to seeing the world and everyone in it in ten shades of grey, and then you experience something or meet someone and you finally are ready to see the "color" or the vibrance in life again, and that readiness becomes eagerness and even desperation at least thats how I percieve it, doesnt really matter though music is medicine so however someone takes it is the way it is at that moment for that individual...

My InterpretationI have a really personal connection to this song, and it might not be what Adam intended when he wrote it, but I think all art is open to interpretation - so here's mine:
This song is about just not being okay, not really being present in life, going through the motions and not really seeing the joy (color) in life (coffee black and egg white).
The verse "I am covered in skin, no one gets to come in" is particularly meaningful to me because 2 months ago I was sexually assaulted by a (now ex) friend of mine. It made me feel like a sex object (I am covered in skin), it made me feel used, and since then it has been hard to open up to anyone else (no one gets to come in), it has been hard to connect with anything, and it has been hard to see the color in life.
This song can refer to coping with any hardship in life, I think, but to me it really resonates to my experience with assault. I'm looking forward to the day when I can say "I am fine."
Before this happened to me, I felt little to no connection with the song, I just recognized it as beautiful, and now it has helped me cope with something I hoped I would never have to deal with, and now it is even more powerful and beautiful to me.